Patient-specific computed tomography guides

ABSTRACT

An orthopedic device for joint arthroplasty includes a patient-specific alignment guide constructed and configured for a specific patient from medical scans that show a bone surface of a bone of the patient without any overlying soft tissue. The patient-specific alignment guide includes a patient-specific inner surface configured to be offset from and mimic the bone surface and form a clearance for soft tissue overlying the bone surface. The alignment guide also includes a plurality of patient-specific contact areas configured to mate and register directly on the bone surface without intervening soft tissue for direct bone registration. The plurality of patient-specific contact areas includes non-contiguous surface contact areas.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/310,543, filed on Mar. 4, 2010. The disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.

INTRODUCTION

The present teachings provide various patient-specific alignment guides for knee arthroplasty. The alignment guides are based on Computed Tomography (CT) scans or other image scans that show bone surfaces without cartilage or soft tissue of the bone surface.

SUMMARY

The present teachings provide an orthopedic device for joint arthroplasty that includes a patient-specific alignment guide constructed and configured for a specific patient from medical scans that show a bone surface of a bone of the patient without any overlying soft tissue. The patient-specific alignment guide includes a patient-specific inner surface configured to be offset from and mimic the bone surface and form a clearance for soft tissue overlying the bone surface. The alignment guide also includes a plurality of patient-specific contact areas configured to mate and register directly on the bone surface without intervening soft tissue for direct bone registration. The plurality of patient-specific contact areas includes non-contiguous surface contact areas.

The patient-specific alignment guide includes a plurality of patient-specific guiding formations having corresponding bores for guiding alignment pins or other tools therethrough. The alignment guide can be a femoral guide or a tibial guide.

The present teachings also provide a method of manufacturing a patient-specific alignment guide. The method includes forming an inner surface of a patient-specific alignment guide to conform and mimic a bone surface of a patient's bone and offsetting the inner surface to avoid articular cartilage and other soft tissue. A plurality of patient-specific contact areas for direct bone registration is formed on the alignment guide.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure and teachings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present teachings will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1A is an environmental perspective view of a patient-specific femoral MRI guide;

FIG. 1B is another environmental perspective view of the MRI guide of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1C is a perspective view of a patient-specific anterior-medial femoral CT guide according to the present teachings;

FIG. 1D is an environmental perspective view of the patient-specific anterior-medial femoral CT guide of FIG. 1C;

FIGS. 2 and 2A are bottom perspective views of the patient-specific anterior-medial femoral CT guide of FIG. 1C;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are additional environmental perspective views of the patient-specific anterior-medial femoral CT guide of FIG. 1C;

FIGS. 5-7 are environmental perspective views of a patient-specific direct anterior femoral CT guide according to the present teachings;

FIG. 7A is a bottom perspective view of the patient-specific direct anterior femoral CT guide of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is an environmental perspective view of a patient-specific anterior-medial tibial CT guide according to the present teachings;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the patient-specific anterior-medial tibial CT guide of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is another environmental perspective view of the patient-specific anterior-medial tibial CT guide of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is an environmental perspective view of a patient-specific direct anterior tibial CT guide according to the present teachings; and

FIGS. 12 and 13 are additional environmental perspective views of the patient-specific direct anterior tibial CT guide of FIG. 11.

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present teachings generally provide various patient-specific alignment guides for use in orthopedic surgery, such as, for example, in joint replacement or revision surgery. More specifically, the present teachings provide patient-specific femoral and tibial alignment guides that are designed based on CT (Computed Tomography) scans of the patient or other image scans that show bone surfaces without cartilage or soft tissue of the bone surface. In the discussion below and in shorthand, the patient-specific alignment guides are referenced as CT guides to indicate that they are based on image methods that show only the bone surface, even though methods other than Computed Tomography can be used.

Generally, patient-specific devices can be designed preoperatively using computer-assisted image methods based on three- or two-dimensional images of the patient's knee anatomy reconstructed from medical scans of the patient's anatomy. Various CAD programs and/or software can be utilized for three-dimensional image reconstruction, such as, for example, software commercially available by Materialise USA, Plymouth, Mich.

Patient-specific alignment guides and implants are generally configured to match a portion of the anatomy of a specific patient. The patient-specific alignment guides are generally formed using computer modeling based on the patient's 3-D anatomic image and have an engagement surface that is made to conformingly contact and match a three-dimensional image of the patient's anatomy, such as a joint surface, in only one position, by the computer methods discussed above. The patient-specific alignment guides are designed and prepared preoperatively using anatomic landmarks, such as osteophytes, for example, and can be mounted intra-operatively without any registration or other guidance based on their unique patient-specific surface guided by the patient's anatomic landmarks.

The patient-specific alignment guides can include custom-made guiding formations, such as, for example, guiding bores or cannulated guiding posts or cannulated guiding extensions or receptacles that can be used for inserting pins or other fasteners for supporting cutting tools and other instruments to perform various resections, after the alignment guides are removed and according to a surgeon-approved pre-operative plan for the specific patient.

Various alignment guides and pre-operative planning procedures are disclosed in commonly assigned and co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/756,057, filed on May 31, 2007, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/211,407, filed Sep. 16, 2008; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/971,390, filed on Jan. 9, 2008, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/363,548, filed on Feb. 27, 2006; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/025,414, filed Feb. 4, 2008, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/571,969, filed Oct. 1, 2009, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/955,361, filed Nov. 29, 2010. The disclosures of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference.

In the instruments and surgical techniques used with the patient-specific alignment guides discussed in the commonly assigned and referenced above U.S. application Ser. No. 11/756,057, filed on May 31, 2007, holes are drilled through corresponding bores of the guiding formations and the alignment guide is removed. Alignment pins are inserted through the holes in the bone and cutting blocks can be mounted over the alignment pins to make the planned bone resections. In this manner, the holes and the corresponding alignment pins are reference elements for referencing correctly the placement of the various cutting blocks and the corresponding resections. All the alignment pins are then removed and the prosthetic components are implanted.

In the preoperative planning stage, imaging data of the relevant anatomy of a patient can be obtained at a medical facility or doctor's office, using one of the medical imaging methods described above. The imaging data can include, for example, various medical scans of a relevant joint portion or other relevant portion of the patient's anatomy, as needed for joint modeling and, optionally, for implant alignment axis determination or for other alignment purposes. The imaging data thus obtained and other associated information can be used to construct a three-dimensional computer image of the joint or other portion of the anatomy of the patient.

The patient-specific guides described herein can be manufactured by various stereolithography methods, selective laser sintering, fused deposition modeling or other rapid prototyping methods. The patient-specific guides can be made of any biocompatible material, including metal, metal alloys or plastic. Generally, the patient-specific guide is disposable and made of lightweight materials, including polymers. The patient-specific implants can be made of any biocompatible materials, including metals and alloys. The patient-specific guides, implants and associated tools can be sterilized and shipped to the surgeon or medical facility in a kit for a specific patient and surgeon during the surgical procedure.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a prior art embodiment of a patient-specific femoral alignment guide 10 (or femoral MRI guide 10) is illustrated. The femoral alignment guide 10 is similar to femoral alignment guides described in some of the above commonly-assigned cross-referenced applications and available from assignee Biomet Manufacturing, Corp., Warsaw, Ind. The femoral alignment guide 10, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, is designed based on medical scans of the patient using MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). The MRI medical scans allow the joint surface to be imaged showing both the bone and overlaying soft tissue, such as articular cartilage. The femoral alignment guide 10 can be designed and configured to be mounted and nestingly conform and mated to the joint surface including the articular cartilage. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1A, the femoral alignment guide or MRI guide 10 is configured to be mounted directly on the anterior surface of a femur 80 of a patient. In this regard, the femoral alignment guide 10 includes an inner surface 14 and an opposite outer surface 16. The inner surface 14 is a three-dimensional curved inner surface 14 configured to nestingly contact and engage the outer anterior surface of the femur 80 which includes both articular cartilage 82 and bone 84. The inner surface 14 is configured during the preoperative plan of the patient to fully contact, without any gaps, the outer surface of the femur 80, contacting articular cartilage 82 and bone 84 depending on what portions of the femur 80 the femoral guide 10 is configured to be mounted and contact. Because full contact is maintained, the femoral guide 10 is stably supported by the femur 80, and can be lightweight and include cut-outs or windows, such as window 15. The femoral alignment guide 10 includes four patient-specific guiding formations 12 a, 12 b, 12 c, 12 d with corresponding bores 13 for guiding alignment pins (not shown) or drilling tools, as discussed above. The guiding formations 12 a, 12 b, 12 c, 12 d (or 12, collectively) are patient-specific and designed during the preoperative plan to provide reference markers, such as alignment pins, to guide predetermined femoral resections, after the femoral alignment guide is removed. As can be seen in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the guiding formations 12 a-12 d can be in the form of conical elements with or without windows for providing stability for inserting alignment pins or drilling holes.

In contrast to the MRI guide 10, and referring to FIGS. 1C-13, the present teachings provide various patient-specific alignment guides 100, 200, 300, 400 (or “CT guides”) that are designed based on CT scans of the patient that image only the actual bone of the patient and not any articular cartilage or other tissue overlying the bone. The CT guides 100, 200, 300, 400 are designed during the preoperative plan to have a corresponding inner surface 104, 204, 304, 404 that mimics, conforms and references the underlying bone, but with an offset, or gap that provides clearance for articular cartilage or other soft tissue without contacting such tissue where it occurs on joint surface. Rather, the CT guides 100, 200, 300, 400 are designed and configured to include structural elements that contact the patient's anatomy in discrete locations where only bone is found, providing direct bone registration, as discussed below in further detail. It is noted that in the illustrations of FIGS. 1-13, the various guides are shown on physical three-dimensional models of the corresponding bone of a specific patient. The physical models can be generated, for example, by rapid prototyping, during the preoperative plan of the patient based on the medical scans of the patient.

Exemplary embodiments of patient-specific CT guides discussed below include a patient-specific femoral anterior-medial CT guide 100 illustrated in FIGS. 1C, 1D, 2, 2A, 3 and 4; a patient-specific femoral direct anterior CT guide 200 illustrated in FIGS. 5-7A; a patient-specific tibial anterior-medial CT guide 300 illustrated in FIGS. 8-10; and a patient-specific tibial direct anterior CT guide 400 illustrated in FIGS. 11-13. Similar elements are referenced with similar numerals XYY, wherein X is 1, 2, 3 or 4 depending on the corresponding CT guide 100, 200, 300 or 400. For example, each of the CT guides 100, 200, 300, 400 can include four corresponding guiding formations 102 (or individually 102 a, 102 b, 102 c, 102 d), 202, 302 and 402 respectively. These guiding formations 102, 202, 302 and 402 can be similar to the guiding formations 12 of the MRI guide 10 of FIGS. 1A and 1B. Each guiding formation includes a corresponding bore 103, 203, 303, 403 for guiding an alignment pin or a drill bit or other tool.

With continued reference to FIGS. 1C-13, each of the CT guides 100, 200, 300, 400 can include a corresponding inner surface 104, 204, 304, 404 and an opposite outer surface 106, 206, 306, 406. As discussed above, the inner surface 104, 204, 304, 404 of each CT guide 100, 200, 300, 400 is designed during the preoperative plan and configured to mimic or mirror the underlying bone surface shown in the CT scan images, but with an offset that creates a clearance or gap to accommodate intervening articular cartilage or other soft tissue in areas where such tissue is found (or retained) over the bone. Exemplary gaps are referenced with numerals X3Y and described below for each CT guide 100, 200, 300, 400 (X=1, 2, 3, 4). Similarly, patient-specific contact areas with the bone for direct bone registration (without intervening soft tissue) are referenced with numerals X2Y and described below for each CT guide 100, 200, 300, 400 (X=1, 2, 3, 4).

With continued reference to FIGS. 1C-13, each of the CT guides 100, 200, 300, 400 can also include a corresponding connection or bridge or reinforcement element 110, 210, 310, 410 between a pair of medial and lateral guiding formations for reinforcement and added stability. The bridge or reinforcing element 110, 210 extends between the pair of distal guiding formations (102 a, 102 b), (202 a, 202 b) of the corresponding femoral CT guides 100, 200. The bridge element 310, 410 extends between the pair of anterior guiding formations (302 a, 302 b), (402 a, 402 b) of the corresponding tibial CT guides 300, 400. For example, the bridge or reinforcing element 110 of femoral CT guide 100 extends between the distal formations 102 a, 102 b, as shown in FIG. 1C. The description of similar elements through the various embodiments will not be repeated, except when there are differences in these elements between embodiments.

Referring to FIGS. 1C, 1D, 2, 2A, and 3-5, various views of a femoral CT guide 100 for anterior-medial placement on the patient's femur 80 are illustrated. As discussed above, the reinforcing element 110 extends between the pair of distal guiding formations 102 a, 102 b. Additionally, an arm 112 extends medially from the femoral CT guide 100 adjacent the medial distal guiding formation 102 a with a pad portion 113 forming an L-shape with the arm 112 for direct contact on the medial surface of the femoral bone 84 for direct bone registration.

As generally discussed above, the inner surface 104 is patient-specific and configured to mirror the underlying bone 84 with an offset from the bone 84 to provide clearance for articular cartilage 82 or other soft tissue in areas where such soft tissue is found or retained over the bone. The offset is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, wherein a gap 130 is shown to provide clearance for the articular cartilage 82 of the medial condyle and a gap 132 is shown to provide clearance for the articular cartilage 82 of the lateral condyle. Actual and direct bone contact is made at various discrete (non-contiguous) surface areas of the femoral CT guide that are shown in FIGS. 2 and 2A at 120, 122, 124 and 126 for direct bone registration. More specifically, the femoral CT guide 100 includes an extension 118 extending at an angle away from the inner surface 104 of the femoral CT guide 100 and configured to be directed toward the intercondylar notch 86 of the femur 80 and offset toward the lateral edge of the intercondylar notch 86 to provide clearance for and avoid the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) of the femur 80, as shown in FIG. 3. In this regard, the orientation, size and length of the extension 118 are patient-specific and designed during the preoperative plan of the patient based on the medical scans of the patient. The extension 118 includes a first surface contact area 120 (intercondylar notch surface contact area), which is designed to be patient-specific and contact and mate with a corresponding bone portion 87 (no cartilage) of the intercondylar notch 86 for direct bone registration.

With continuous reference to FIGS. 1C-4, a second (or distal medial) patient-specific surface contact area 122 is provided at the inner surface of the pad portion 113 for nestingly mating with a corresponding portion of the medial surface of the bone 84 for direct bone registration. Additional third and fourth (or lateral and medial anterior) patient-specific surface contact areas 124, 126 are provided under corresponding lateral and medial anterior portions 114, 116 of the femoral CT guide, as shown in FIGS. 1C, 2, 2A, 3 and 4 for direct bone registration. The lateral anterior portion 114 can be elongated along an axis A, which is oriented at an angle β relative to an axis B that passes through the centers of the anterior guiding formations 102 c, 102 d, as shown in FIG. 4. The angle β and the length of lateral anterior portion can be selected during the preoperative plan such that the contact area 124 under the lateral anterior portion 114 can reach and contact directly a mating bone area that is not covered by natural cartilage or other soft tissue, as discussed above. In some embodiments, the angle β, as shown in FIG. 4, can be selected to be about 135 (180-45) degrees.

With continuous reference to FIGS. 1C-4, the fourth contact area 126 is also patient-specific and designed and configured to mate with a corresponding bone surface that is not covered by natural cartilage or other soft tissue for direct bone registration. The patient-specific surface contact areas 120, 122, 124 and 126 discussed above are exemplary. It is contemplated that either fewer or additional surface contact areas can be provided and in different locations, using different arms, extensions or medial and lateral portions for support.

Referring to FIGS. 5-7A, a patient-specific direct anterior femoral CT guide is illustrated. The femoral CT guide 200 is similar to the femoral CT guide 100, but is configured to be mounted directly anteriorly and not anteriorly-medially. Elements that are similar between the two guides 100 and 200 are referenced with numerals 1XY and 2XY respectively, and their description is not repeated. In summary, the direct anterior femoral CT guide 200 can include a reinforcing element 210, an arm 212 and a plurality of patient-specific discrete or non-contiguous surface contact or registration areas for mating with corresponding bone areas that are naturally devoid of articular cartilage, such as, for example, the contact areas 220, 222, 224, and 226 illustrated in FIG. 7A. Further, the patient-specific inner surface 204 is offset from the bone of the femur 80 for providing clearance for articular cartilage or other soft tissue. Such clearance is indicated by gaps 230, 232 in FIG. 6, and gaps 230 a, 230 b, and 230 c in FIG. 7.

Referring to FIGS. 8-13, patient-specific tibial CT guides 300 and 400 will be described. The tibial guide 300 is shown in FIGS. 8-10 and is configured for anterior-medial placement on the patient's tibia 70. The tibial guide 400 is shown in FIGS. 11-13 and is configured for direct anterior placement on the patient's tibia 70. It is noted that a patient-specific physical model of the patient's tibia is shown in FIGS. 9-13. Each of the tibial CT guides 300, 400 includes a corresponding pair of anterior guiding formations (302 a, 302 b) and (402 a, 402 b) and a corresponding pair of proximal guiding formations (302 c, 302 d) and (402 c, 402 d). Each guiding formation has a guiding bore 303 or 403 corresponding to the tibial CT guide 300 or 400.

As discussed above generally in connection with the CT guides, the tibial CT guides 300, 400 include a reinforcing element 310, 410 extending between the pair of corresponding anterior guiding formations (302 a, 302 b) and (402 a, 402 b). Each tibial CT guide 300, 400 includes an anterior flange 350, 450 extending distally away from the anterior guiding formations (302 a, 302 b), as discussed below.

The patient-specific inner surface 304, 404 of the corresponding tibial CT guide 300, 400 is designed and configured to mimic and mirror the surface of the bone of the tibia but offset from the bone to provide clearance for articular cartilage or other soft tissue. Articular cartilage is found on the proximal surface 72 of the tibia, while the anterior surface 74 of the tibia 70 is a bone surface for direct contact with the CT guide, except as discussed below for avoiding various ligaments and in particular the patella tendon. Additionally, very little, if any, cartilage is found over the spine area 77 of the tibia, and the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is typically removed. Accordingly, the spine area 77 can also serve for direct bone registration, as shown in FIG. 10, where first and second surface contact areas 320 a, 320 b for direct bone registration are shown. Similar direct bone registration areas for the tibial CT guide 400 are hidden from view in FIGS. 11-13.

With continued reference to FIGS. 8-13, each of the tibial CT guides 300, 400 can include a corresponding anterior flange 350, 450 extending distally over the anterior surface 74 of the tibia 70 and registering directly on the bone. The anterior flange 350, 450 can be shaped to follow the tibial tubercle 79 without interfering with or going over it. In this regard, the anterior flange 350, 450 provides additional direct bone registration for mounting the tibial CT guide 300, 400 on the tibia 70 intraoperatively. A distal portion of the anterior flange 350, 450 can form a frangible tab 354, 454, which can be optionally broken off or cut off/clipped off by the surgeon based on intraoperative conditions and preferences. A score line or groove or other weakened line 352, 452 can be provided for ease of removal of the tab 354, 454. In some embodiments, the anterior flange 350, 450 can extend distally from the anterior guiding formations (302 a, 302 b), (402 a, 402 b) by about 1.5 cm, for example, and the tab 354, 454 can be about 0.5 cm in length. In some embodiments, the tab 354, 454 can be modularly coupled to the anterior flange 350, 450. Additional details for alignment/resection guides with frangible and/or modularly coupled portions are disclosed in commonly assigned and co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/571,969, filed Oct. 1, 2009 and published as 2010-0087829 on Apr. 8, 2010, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Referring to FIGS. 8-10, soft tissue clearance areas for the articular cartilage of the proximal surface 72 of the tibia are illustrated as gaps 330 between the tibial CT guide 300 and the tibia 70. Similar clearance areas between the inner surface 404 for the tibial CT guide 400 and the proximal surface 72 of the tibia 70 are illustrated at 430 a in FIG. 12. An additional clearance area 430 b is formed by designing a cutout or bigger offset in the inner surface 404 of the tibial CT guide 400 under the anterior guiding formation 402 b to provide clearance for the patella tendon. A similar cut out for patella tendon clearance is formed under the anterior guiding formation 302 b of the tibial CT guide 300, but is not visible in the views shown in FIGS. 8-10.

Generally, the patient-specific alignment guides (CT guides) described herein can be manufactured by obtaining images of the bone surface of the patient using a CT or other imaging method and forming an inner surface of the patient-specific alignment guide to conform and mimic the bone surface. Further, the inner surface is constructed to be offset from the bone surface to provide clearance and avoid articular cartilage, ligaments and other soft tissue when it is mounted on the patient's bone. A plurality of patient-specific contact areas for direct bone registration are constructed on various portions of the alignment guides. In some cases, extensions or arms are constructed to provide support for corresponding surface contact areas for direct bone registration.

Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure is thorough, and fully conveys the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail. Accordingly, individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A patient-specific alignment guide for joint arthroplasty comprising: a patient-specific inner surface configured to be offset from and mimic a bone surface so that a majority of the patient-specific inner surface does not make contact with the bone surface, the patient-specific inner surface forming a clearance under the patient-specific inner surface for soft tissue overlying the bone surface; and a plurality of patient-specific contact areas formed on the patient-specific inner surface and configured to contact the bone surface without intervening soft tissue; and an extension extending from the patient-specific inner surface, the extension comprising a patient-specific contact surface configured to contact the bone surface without intervening soft tissue.
 2. The patient-specific alignment guide of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of patient-specific guiding formations having corresponding bores for guiding alignment pins or other tools therethrough.
 3. The patient-specific alignment guide of claim 2, further comprising: a reinforcing element between a first patient-specific guiding formation and a second patient-specific guide formation of the plurality of patient-specific guiding formations.
 4. The patient-specific alignment guide of claim 2, wherein the patient-specific alignment guide further comprises: an anterior flange extending distally from a first patient-specific guiding formation and a second patient-specific guiding formation of the plurality of guiding formations, and wherein the anterior flange comprises a patient-specific surface contact area for direct bone registration.
 5. The patient-specific alignment guide of claim 4, wherein the anterior flange includes a removable portion.
 6. The patient-specific alignment guide of claim 5, wherein the removable portion is frangible along a score line.
 7. The patient-specific alignment guide of claim 4, wherein the plurality of patient-specific contact areas include at least one contact area configured to contact a tibial spine.
 8. The patient-specific alignment guide of claim 4, wherein the patient-specific alignment guide includes a cutout under one of the plurality of patient-specific guiding formations configured to provide clearance for a patella tendon.
 9. A patient-specific alignment guide for joint arthroplasty comprising: a patient-specific inner surface configured to be offset from a bone surface so that a majority of the patient-specific inner surface does not make contact with the bone surface, the patient-specific inner surface forming a clearance under the patient-specific inner surface for soft tissue overlying the bone surface; a plurality of patient-specific contact areas formed on the patient-specific inner surface and configured to contact the bone surface without intervening soft tissue; an extension extending from the patient-specific inner surface, the extension comprising a patient-specific contact surface configured to contact the bone surface without intervening soft tissue; a first pair of patient-specific guiding formations having corresponding bores for guiding a tool therethrough; and a second pair of patient-specific guiding formations having corresponding bores for guiding the tool therethrough.
 10. The patient-specific alignment guide of claim 9, wherein the first pair of guiding formations are proximal guiding formations and the second pair of guiding formations are anterior guiding formations.
 11. The patient-specific alignment guide of claim 10, wherein the plurality of patient-specific contact areas includes: a first surface contact area configured to contact a tibial spine portion on a proximal surface of a tibia; and a second surface contact area configured to contact an anterior bone surface of the tibia.
 12. The patient-specific alignment guide of claim 10, wherein the patient-specific alignment guide includes a cutout under at least one of the guiding formations, and wherein at least one of the guiding formations is configured to provide clearance for a patella tendon. 